There is no doubt that one of my descendants, some day, somewhere, will
suddenly pop this age-old query: Mommy, where did I come from? The sole
purpose of LINK is to provide an answer.

As I
grew up, married and aged, I came into contact with a host of fascinating
people, all linked to me, who in their lifetimes did extraordinary things,
traveled to far off places, and met incredible people. This is their story.
I will tell it, often using their words as recalled by me or by their
survivors, or through written words they left behind. Many of these fabulous
people are no longer alive. This tale must be told before my generation, the
last ones able to link this century to centuries past, also become dust.

Four major branches provide the base
blood for this story: Butler, Salazar, Covell and Beck. Roots are English,
Irish, Spanish, and German, a rather typical mix. All were ‘pioneers’,
that is, they arrived in Americas during the 18th century and
earlier, no one awaited their arrival, they had no place in particular where
to head, had no job prospects and no one to provide shelter. But, America
was
a land of opportunity. These four branches took root, worked diligently,
moved across vast distances and settled into new homes where they would stay
for another 150 years.

Some of the fascinating stories
contained herein may sound outlandish yet all facts have been checked out as
best as can be. Let’s start with Uncle Benito. Wow, what a guy!
Here’s his story on early flight.